Guarnier re-signs with Boels Dolmans

30 August 2016

Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team is proud to announce it has retained the services of American road champion Megan Guarnier for another two seasons. The UCI Women’s WorldTour leader headlines a key group of returning riders to re-sign with the Dutch registered squad through 2017.

Guarnier joined Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team in 2013 from Rabo Liv Women Cycling Team as a rider with promise. She has unlocked her potential under the direction of team manager Danny Stam, showing her strength over varied terrain and her tactical nous in varied race scenarios.

“When I joined Boels-Dolmans, I definitely saw myself as an all-arounder domestique,” said Guarnier. “Danny saw that there was more in me and has pushed me to realize my potential. This team has a very special environment that has been cultivated over the years, which has contributed to our collective and individual success.”

“Danny had a long-term vision,” Guarnier added. “He wanted the best team in the world. He’s done that. It’s takes a talent and an eye for tactics, and it takes patience in building a group of women together for a common goal. I’m proud to be a part of that.

In 2015, Guarnier won Strade Bianche, Ladies Tour of Norway and a stage of the Giro Rosa, where she finished third overall. A bronze medal at the 2015 Road World Championship in Richmond, Virginia secured her spot on Team USA for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“Megan seemed surprised by her success,” said Stam. “For me, it was never a surprise. I always believed she would turn into a winner, and it was my job to provide her with what she needed to believe in herself.”

The 31-year-old backed up her breakout season with continued success in 2016. She finished on the Women’s WorldTour podium, behind teammates, at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and La Flèche Wallonne before winning one stage and the overall at Amgen Tour of California, her third national road title, the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, and, perhaps most importantly, the Giro Rosa.

“I see my progression as my biggest achievement,” said Guarnier. “The Giro Rosa is a good example of that. I’m not going to call my Giro Rosa win my biggest achievement, but I think you can clearly see where I started and how I’ve progressed from there by looking at my performance and results at the Giro Rosa.”

“The most important thing I’ve learned from my time with the team is a respect for and acceptance of my teammates and their unique talents and personalities,” Guarnier added. “The way we come together to support each other and challenge each other to do better is a key to our success.”

Guarnier is the seventh returning rider for the 2017 teammate alongside world champion Lizzie Armitstead, Chantal Blaak, Karol-Ann Canuel, Amalie Dideriksen, Nikki Harris and Christine Majerus. Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen is the only new signing to be announced at this time.